Patrick Taylor

Yes, I agree with the above. I went for lower/firmer suspension 25 years ago and can't remember what the original set-up was like! I've just bought a proper, modern, sports car and realise the Bond will never, ever, compete; so I'm tempted to put it back to original, trundly-trundly spec and enjoy it for what it is, without all the banging and crashing over potholes...

It sounds like you have a good sense of humour! You'll need it, both on the Forum and in the car... As an explanation of the latter, my car has the main headlamp switch next to the windscreen wiper switch, on a largely unlit dashboard. This makes turning the wipers off on a dark, wet night into a game of Russian roulette. You'd think I'd know which was which after 30 years of ownership. Wrong. Oh, how we laugh when the road ahead is plunged into darkness... I see your car has the later, more sensible, dashboard layout.

You have my sympathies. Disappointing, isn't it?

What I have found to be really poor are the aftermarket chrome wheel nuts sold to fit alloy wheels. The threads strip far more easily than on the studs, which is as it should be, of course: all engineering is predicated on having a hard material in contact with a (comparatively) softer/more elastic one. I keep a spare set of nuts to top up the set in use as they strip. And yes, I only torque them to 40 ft/lb.

My car has over-cooled for years, ever since I put a full width rad on it. It rarely gets to halfway, even in the summer. I've just fitted a 91 degree stat, and that gives a needle bang on halfway and a toasty heater. I don't see why it would need the mixture and/or the timing adjusting as it is running at what is, presumably, the correct temperature. I'll have to swap it back again come warmer weather.

I missed getting an MOT last year, but will put the car in for one once I've sorted a couple of niggles. Whilst none of us wants to be told our car needs work, I don't believe I have the kit or the knowledge to properly check the entire braking system and its efficiency, plus assess corrosion, wheel bearings and trunnions, and headlamp alignment. An MOT is a small price to pay for the peace of mind.

I've done a few miles on the Uniroyals now. I always think I'm an un-analytical driver, but they were a significant improvement right from the off. I know the Dunlops must have gone hard(er) over the years, but I don't recall them ever being this good.

I had new tyres fitted on Saturday: I asked the fitter to tighten the wheel nuts by hand and not with the windy wrench. The fitters were amazed to hear that the nuts should be torqued at 40lb/ft: they were doing vans at 170lb/ft! Would have stripped the nuts in seconds, I imagine....

It appears that Dunlop Street Response 2 tyres have been discontinued: Easy Tyres could get me 2, but not 4. They contacted Dunlop to see if there was a batch in the pipeline, but no. So after a quick trawl on here I've opted for Uniroyal Rain Expert 3s; they came out a little cheaper, too.

I'm really glad I found this thread as it reminded me that I had a full set of tyres fitted when I had some work done on the car at Jigsaw...eleven years ago! A quick check found small cracks developing all over the sidewalls...so I've booked myself (or more accurately, the car) in to have new boots fitted tomorrow. Just shows how useful a Forum like this can be!

Yes, it's a Bond GT4S. There could be some useful spares, not least the rear screen, which is in hen's teeth territory. Original front seats and the steering wheel, if still there, are similarly rare and sought after.

I don't know what info the Club requires, but a starting point would be the 'Bond Cars' maker's plate on the nearside of the bulkhead, visible with the bonnet open. The chassis number is the same as the Triumph engine number but with a 'B' added to it: so engine number FC12345 would be Bond chassis number BFC12345. There will also be the Bond production number on there: as a 1968 registration, your car will either start with and 'S' (1967) or 'T' (1968), followed by the month number (Jan=1, Feb=2, etc.) and finally the production number which will be between 1 and 2505.

No problem, @butchthebond. There are more important things than our cars! I hope your wife is on the mend. @Colin Lindsay I know what you mean -there was an Alpine dealer display at the big local show last summer; I may have pointed it out to my wife as we walked past...🙄

Welcome to the world of Bond! I too have a Bond/Alpine combination, but a different type of Alpine...

I was going to refurb my own but in the end decided to go with new, despite some contributors on here feeling it was best to avoid them. I fitted new discs and bearings at the same time and have not had any problems with any of them.